,s. 


\/j . 


y 


GLIMPSES  OF 

AFRICA 


BISHOP  WILLIAM  BURT 


Glimpses  of  Africa 


By  BISHOP  WILLIAM  BURT 


A  visit  to  the  African  Missions  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
was  made  in  December,  1906,  and  in 
the  early  months  of  1907,  by  Bishop 
Burt.  A  partial  record  of  this  jour¬ 
ney  is  here  given  through  extracts 
taken  from  the  Bishop’s  letters. 


AFRICA  DIAMOND  JUBILEE  COMMISSION 
BOARD  OP  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 
OP  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 
150  FIFTH  AVENUE 
NEW  YORK 


PRINTED  MAY,  1909 


GLIMPSES  OF  AFRICA 


We  left  our  home  in  Zurich  on  the  evening  of  December  12, 
1906,  and  arrived  in  London  the  following  day  at  4:30  p.  m. 
A  few  minutes  after  our  arrival  Bishop  and  Mrs.  Hartzell  and 
the  Bishop’s  Secretary,  Mr.  Cyrus  F.  Stoddard,  called,  and 
we  soon  planned  how  we  might  best  employ  the  next  day,  prior 
to  our  taking  the  steamer  for  Madeira  and  Africa. 

In  the  morning  Bishop  Hartzell  and  I  called  on  Sir  Edward 
Grey,  Secretary  for  Foreign  Affairs.  He  received  us  very  cor¬ 
dially.  Though  comparatively  young,  he  is  one  of  England’s 
great  men,  and  carries  in  his  hands  the  destinies  of  nations. 
We  discussed  very  freely  the  relation  of  our  work  in  Africa  to 
the  present  and  the  future,  and  endeavored  to  show  him  that  wher¬ 
ever  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  it  stands  for  fraternal 
relations  among  races.  We  also  called  on  Mr.  Boyd,  Secretary 
of  the  Ehodes  Trust.  This  interview  was  most  interesting.  It 
is  remarkable  how  Bishop  Hartzell  has  gotten  hold  of  so  many 
influential  men  in  England  and  made  them  interested  in  his  work 
in  Africa.  He  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  those  who  know  the 
situation  on  the  Dark  Continent.  Most  of  the  afternoon  was 
spent  in  preparing  our  outfit  for  the  journey.  Saturday  morn¬ 
ing,  December  15,  we  left  London  for  Southampton,  from 
which  port  we  were  to  sail  for  Funchal,  Madeira,  on  the  steam¬ 
ship  Saxon,  a  fine  ship  of  12,385  tons. 

Funchal  is  a  city  of  about  45,000  inhabitants.  There  are 
more  than  150,000  people  on  the  two  Madeira  islands.  These 
islands  belong  to  Portugal  and  for  centuries  have  been  under 
the  dominion  of  Eomish  priests  with  the  usual  results  of  igno¬ 
rance,  superstition,  and  fear.  Nearly  ninety  per  cent  of  the 
people  are  illiterate. 

On  landing  at  Funchal  we  were  taken  immediately  to  our 
Mission  House,  which  is  very  beautifully  and  centrally  located, 
opposite  the  public  gardens.  Bishop  Hartzell  found  friends  to 
give  him  the  money  with  which  to  buy  this  splendid  property. 


4 


GLIMPSES  OF  AFRICA 


It  can  be  made  an  important  center  for  the  evangelization  of 
the  Portuguese  on  the  Madeira  Islands,  the  Azores,  the  Cape 
Verde  Islands,  and  the  Portuguese  possessions  in  West  and  East 
Africa.  Here  men  can  be  trained,  books,  papers,  and  tracts 
printed,  and  tired  missionaries  can  rest  and  recuperate  their 
strength. 

On  the  day  of  our  arrival  at  Funchal  we  visited  San  Antonio 
de  Serra  and  Machico.  An  excellent  opportunity  was  here  given 
to  observe  the  peasants,  whose  faces  are  marked  with  the  same 
ignorance,  superstition,  and  fear  as  those  of  their  co-religionists 
at  Pome.  The  good  seed  of  Protestant  evangelism  was  first 
sown  here  many  years  ago  by  Dr.  Robert  R.  Kalley,  a  physician 
and  minister  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  who  arrived  in 
Madeira  in  1838.  The  priests  thought  that  by  their  cruel  per¬ 
secutions  they  had  crushed  out  Protestantism  on  the  whole 
island,  but  some  of  the  good  seed  remained,  and  later,  under 
the  care  of  the  Rev.  and  Mrs.  William  G.  Smart,  bore  fruit  to 
the  glory  of  God.  This  work  has  come,  in  a  very  providential 
way,  into  our  care,  and  the  station  has  been  named  Mount 
Faith,  being  2,150  feet  above  sea  level.  The  property  is  worth 
about  five  thousand  dollars  and  is  free  of  debt,  the  money  hav¬ 
ing  been  raised  by  Bishop  Hartzell  through  special  gifts.  Here 
the  Rev.  George  B.  Nind  is  doing  a  good  work.  In  addition  to 
his  duties  as  pastor  and  teacher  he  has  translated  into  Portuguese 
the  important  parts  of  our  Discipline,  and  has  prepared  an 
excellent  hymn  book. 

A  Port  of  Call  for  Ships  of  Every  Hation 

I  doubt  if  many  of  our  people  understand  the  importance  of 
Funchal  as  a  stopping  place  for  ships  of  every  nationality. 
Naval  fleets,  training  ships,  excursion  steamers,  and  merchant 
ships  from  all  nations  call  here.  During  the  three  days  we 
were  at  Madeira  not  less  than  twenty  large  steamers  called  at 
Funchal,  and  we  were  informed  that  during  the  year  the  number 
is  more  than  fifteen  hundred.  We  are  conducting  a  work  here 
for  the  sailors  of  these  many  ships.  There  are  tracts  in  seven¬ 
teen  different  languages  which  are  carefully  distributed.  There 
is  a  reading  room  where  the  sailors  may  rest,  read  and  write. 


MADEIRA  ISLANDS  AND  LIBERIA 


5 


and  where  they  may  also  obtain  a  cup  of  tea  or  coffee,  and  even 
a  substantial  meal,  for  which  they  pay. 

Of  course  all  beginnings  are  difficult,  especially  in  Roman 
Catholic  countries.  Portuguese  laws  do  not  admit  of  much 
religious  liberty,  but,  thank  God,  the  bitter  persecutions  of  ten 
years  ago  are  now  unknown.  A  substantial  beginning  has  been 
made  at  Madeira,  some  good  workers  are  now  on  the  field,  and 
the  outlook  is  promising.  The  enterprise  is  worthy  of  the  most 
cordial  support. 

First  View  of  the  Dark  Continent 

We  sailed  from  Madeira,  December  23,  for  Monrovia,  and 
spent  Christmas  Eve  anchored  in  the  beautiful  harbor  of  Las 
Palmas,  Grand  Canary  Islands.  Christmas  morning  we  called 
at  Teneriffe,  where  Nelson  lost  his  flag  and  his  arm.  From 
Teneriffe  we  steered  a  straight  course  to  Liberia,  and  after  a 
very  pleasant  voyage  of  seven  days  from  Madeira  we  anchored 
early  Monday  morning,  December  31,  off  Monrovia.  It  is 
impossible  for  me  to  describe  my  feelings  as  I  looked  on  the 
shores  of  the  Dark  Continent,  and  especially  on  those  of  Liberia, 
“the  land  of  the  free,”  the  first  foreign  missionary  field  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  the  resting  place  of  our  first 
foreign  missionary,  as  well  as  of  other  heroic  men  and  women, 
black  and  white,  who  counted  not  their  life  dear  if  they  might 
serve  Christ  and  redeem  Africa.  It  was  with  a  heart  full  of 
sympathetic  love  that  I  lifted  my  hat  and  saluted  Liberia. 

Liberia  is  on  the  West  Africa  coastland  between  Sierra  Leone 
and  the  Ivory  Coast.  Hence  it  is  bounded  on  the  east  and  north 
by  French  territory,  on  the  west  by  British  territory  and  on  the 
south  by  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  Its  coast  line  is  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  and  is  very  important,  because  it  is 
nearly  parallel  to  the  course  taken  by  the  great  steamers  plying 
between  Europe  and  South  Africa.  There  are  no  natural  harbors 
along  this  coast,  but  there  are  several  places  at  which  it  is  quite 
safe  to  land.  At  a  distance  of  from  ten  to  forty  miles  from  the 
coast  there  are  dense  forests  which  cover  nearly  the  whole 
country,  an  area  of  about  forty-three  thousand  square  miles. 
In  fact,  Liberia  is  the  culmination  of  the  West  Africa  forest 


6 


GLIMPSES  OF  AFRICA 


region.  Nowhere  else  are  these  forests  more  thick  or  more 
luxuriant  than  here. 

The  interior  of  Liberia  is  still  among  the  least  opened  up 
parts  of  Africa.  It  is  known,  however,  that  the  surface  of  the 
hinterland  is  nearly  everywhere  hilly,  and  in  parts  there  are 
mountains  rising  up  perhaps  to  ten  thousand  feet.  The  rain¬ 
fall  in  the  country  is  very  heavy,  averaging  about  one  hundred 
inches  per  year.  Rain  falls  nearly  every  month  in  the  year,  but 
the  rainy  season  is  from  May  to  November.  The  coolest  month 
is  August,  the  middle  of  the  rainy  season,  and  the  hottest  is 
December.  Of  course,  the  temperature  is  uniformly  high,  rang¬ 
ing  from  seventy-five  degrees  at  night  to  one  hundred  degrees 
in  the  day.  Sometimes,  however,  it  falls  to  fifty-six  degrees  and 
sometimes  rises  to  one  hundred  and  five  degrees.  The  soil  is 
rich  and  what  grows  is  luxuriant.  The  chief  exports  are  coffee, 
ginger,  india-rubber,  ivory,  hides,  kola  nuts,  palm  oil,  and  palm 
kernels.  At  present  the  exports  amount  to  about  a  million 
dollars,  but  they  might  easily  be  increased  to  ten  times  this 
amount. 

The  committee  had  assigned  me  to  the  charming  home  of  Dr. 
Ernest  Lyon,  resident  minister  and  consul-general  of  the  United 
States  to  Liberia.  It  means  much  that  we  have  at  Monrovia 
one  who  represents  our  government  with  so  much  ability,  dig¬ 
nity,  and  honor,  and  whose  home  is  the  center  of  high  ideals  and 
elevating  influences. 


Bust  Days  in  Liberia 

At  4 :00  p.  M.  on  the  day  of  our  arrival  we  attended  a  thanks¬ 
giving  meeting,  to  thank  God  for  His  care  and  protection  dur¬ 
ing  our  journey.  Then  Bishop  Hartzell,  Bishop  Scott,  Dr. 
Lyon,  and  I  went  to  the  cemetery,  and  as  the  sun  was  setting, 
stood  with  uncovered  heads  at  the  grave  of  the  Rev.  Melville  B. 
Cox,  the  first  foreign  missionary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

On  New  Year’s  Day  we  were  invited  to  a  reception  and  lunch¬ 
eon  given  by  the  President  of  the  Republic.  This  gave  us  the 
opportunity  of  meeting  not  only  President  and  Mrs.  Barclay, 
but  also  the  members  of  the  President’s  cabinet,  senators,  judges. 


LIBERIA 


7 


and  other  dignitaries  of  the  Liberian  government.  We  talked 
with  them  all  freely  concerning  the  present  condition  and  future 
prospects  of  the  Republic. 

We  remained  in  Liberia  until  January  11,  1907,  and  were 
busy  every  hour  of  the  time.  Besides  presiding  with  Bishop 
Scott  at  the  session  of  the  Annual  Conference,  preaching,  lectur¬ 
ing,  and  making  addresses,  we  visited  Kroo-town,  and  went 
twenty-five  miles  up  the  Saint  Paul  River  to  our  industrial 
school.  We  also  visited  our  schools,  printing  house,  and  many 
of  the  homes  of  our  people  in  Monrovia.  We  were  sorry  that 
we  had  not  two  months  for  Liberia  alone.  The  only  means  of 
getting  to  many  of  the  places  is  by  steamer,  and  the  steamers 
are  neither  frequent  nor  regular.  During  our  stay  we  suffered 
very  little  more  inconvenience  from  the  climate  than  we  would 
have  suffered  attending  Conferences  at  home  in  July  or  August. 
We  were  glad  to  note  the  absence  of  flies,  fleas,  and  mosquitoes. 

This  Liberia  is  but  a  tiny  portion  of  the  great  continent  of 
Africa  set  apart  as  an  independent  state  for  the  intellectual, 
civil,  and  moral  development  of  the  black  man;  a  little  garden 
in  which  he  may  show  what  his  skill,  husbandry,  and  character 
can  accomplish.  It  would  certainly  not  be  fair  to  expect  that  he 
should  accomplish  in  the  same  length  of  time  as  much  as 
England,  France,  or  Germany  have  done  or  may  do  in  other 
parts  of  Africa  with  unlimited  resources  of  men,  money,  and 
material  equipment.  From  what,  however,  has  been  done  dur¬ 
ing  the  past  seventy-five  years,  may  we  reasonably  hope  for 
ultimate  success?  We  sincerely  do. 

Methodism’s  First  Foreign  Mission  Field 

The  history  of  the  church  in  Liberia  is  contemporaneous  with 
the  history  of  the  country  itself.  On  the  ship,  Elizabeth,  which 
brought  the  first  negro  colonists  from  America,  Daniel  Coker 
organized  a  church  according  to  the  rules  and  discipline  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  1832  Bishop  Hedding 
appointed  as  missionary  to  Liberia  the  Rev.  Melville  B.  Cox. 
He  was  a  New  Englander  of  good  education  but  of  frail  body. 
To  one  who  urged  him  not  to  go  he  replied,  ‘T  do  not  expect  to 
live  long  there,  but  if  I  am  spared  to  commence  the  work  I  shall 


8 


GLIMPSES  OF  AFRICA 


establish  a  bond  of  union  between  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  Africa  which  shall  never  be  broken.”  He  longed 
to  go  that  even  his  grave  might  be  a  sermon  on  the  deathless 
passion  of  Christ  for  lost  men.  He  said  to  a  friend  before  leav¬ 
ing,  ‘‘If  I  die  in  Africa  you  must  come  and  write  my  epitaph.” 
He  sailed  November  6,  1832,  spent  Christmas  on  the  Cape  Verde 
Islands,  and  landed  at  Monrovia  March  8,  1833,  where  he  died 
just  four  months  and  fourteen  days  after  his  arrival.  He  said, 
“Let  a  thousand  fall  before  Africa  be  given  up.”  His  few  months 
in  Africa  were  full  of  intense  activity.  He  purchased  the  prem¬ 
ises  belonging  to  the  Basel  Mission,  and  soon  put  in  operation 
the  services  and  means  of  grace  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  initiated  plans  for  educational  institutions  and 
evangelistic  work.  At  present  the  Secretaries  of  the  Treasury 
and  of  the  Interior,  the  Postmaster-General  and  the  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court,  the  Governor  of  the  County  of 
Montserrado,  the  Collector  of  Customs,  and  many  other  ofl&cials 
and  representatives  of  the  government,  as  well  as  some  of  the 
p]-incipal  merchants,  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

The  church  at  Monrovia  not  only  pays  all  its  own  expenses, 
but  also  helps  Bishop  Scott  in  his  work  among  the  heathen  at 
Kroo-town.  The  other  self-supporting  churches,  however,  do 
not  pay  their  ministers  more  than  $450,  which  is  a  small  allow¬ 
ance  in  view  of  the  expensiveness  of  living.  In  the  smaller 
places  the  people  are  not  able  to  pay  one  half  or  even  a  third 
of  this  amount.  What  follows?  The  minister  perforce  must 
make  his  living  in  some  other  way,  and  hence  he  becomes  a 
trader,  farmer,  or  government  employee.  His  attention  and 
interest  are  divided  and  our  work  suffers.  Salaries  should  be 
so  adjusted  that  the  members  of  the  Liberia  Conference  can  give 
all  their  time  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  If  we  will  raise  up 
and  educate  on  the  field  a  native  ministry  equal  in  grade  to 
those  who,  during  the  past  ten  years,  have  been  transferred  from 
the  United  States,  then  our  future  will  be  secure. 

Bishop  John  F.  Hurst,  in  his  History  of  Methodism,  Volume 
VII,  p.  580,  says:  “From  1850  to  1884  the  mission  was  almost 
entirely  in  the  hands  of  colored  men.  Though  some  of  the 
ablest  teachers  and  preachers  have  been,  and  are,  colored  men 


ANGOLA 


9 


and  women,  it  seems  to  be  admitted  that  the  Liberia  work  has 
been  at  its  highest  efficiency  and  hopefulness  when  white  and 
colored  missionaries  were  working  together.”  This  lesson  is 
repeated  over  and  over  again  to  one  who  travels  in  Africa.  The 
negro  is  now  having  his  chance  under  the  leadership  of,  and 
in  cooperation  with,  the  friendly  white  man. 

Enroute  to  Loaxda 

From  Monrovia  we  took  an  English  steamer  for  Loanda,  and 
started  on  a  twenty-five  days’  voyage  along  the  coast,  during 
which  time  the  evils  of  slavery,  drink,  and  immorality  were 
forced  upon  our  minds  in  their  vilest  forms. 

The  Scotch  Presbyterians  have  a  strong  mission  in  Southern 
Nigeria,  for  which  they  contribute  $45,000  a  year — more  than 
we  give  for  the  whole  continent  of  Africa.  We  had  the  privilege 
of  visiting  their  industrial  schools,  also  the  government  hospital, 
and  of  dining  with  the  Vice-Governor  and  two  other  govern¬ 
ment  officials.  We  were  sorry  to  see  that  through  a  wily 
Jesuit  the  Roman  Catholics  are  getting  into  Nigeria.  It  seems 
so  strange  to  us  to  hear  even  Protestants  praise  the  results  of 
Roman  Catholic  Missions  in  Africa.  Again  and  again  we  have 
asked.  Why?  The  replies  show  that  the  reason  is  not  because 
the  priests  or  monks  develop  any  initiative  or  independence  in 
the  negro,  but  because  the  Romanists  agree  with  some  white 
officials  over  here  in  keeping  the  black  man  in  subjection  and 
in  compelling  him  to  contribute  to  their  selfish  desires.  Roman¬ 
ism  has  nothing  to  offer  the  negro  for  his  good.  Priests  will 
only  complicate  and  hinder  the  redemption  and  elevation  of 
the  colored  race.  What  Africa  needs  is  light,  liberty,  and  love, 
while  Rome  stands  for  darkness,  repression,  and  strife. 

It  was  about  11:00  p.  m.,  February  5,  when  we  entered  the 
spacious  harbor  of  Saint  Paul  de  Loanda,  too  late,  of  course,  to 
land.  The  Custom  House  officials  were  exceedingly  kind,  and 
caused  us  no  inconvenience  whatever;  hence  we  soon  arrived  at 
our  mission  compound.  This  is  a  magnificent  property,  splendidly 
located,  overlooking  the  city  and  sea,  and  visible  from  almost 
every  point.  The  fifteen  acres  of  land  allow  plenty  of  space  for 
future  growth  and  development.  There  was  no  mistake  made 


10 


GLIMPSES  OF  AFRICA 


in  the  selection  of  this  property  and  much  wisdom  has  been  dis¬ 
played  by  enlarging  it.  AVe  were  delighted  as  we  walked  over 
the  place. 


Angola’s  Natural  Resources 

Angola  was  discovered  by  the  Portuguese  in  1486.  It  is  one 
of  the  largest  territorial  divisions  of  Africa,  and  because  of  its 
geograpliical  situation,  variety  of  climate,  richness  of  soil,  and 
mineral  wealth,  is  one  of  the  most  important  divisions.  It  has 
an  area  of  484,000  square  miles,  a  coast  line  of  about  1,000 
miles,  with  two  of  the  best  harbors  on  the  whole  AVest  Coast. 
Its  neighbors  are  Germany  on  the  south,  England  on  the  south¬ 
east,  and  the  Congo  Free  State  on  the  northeast.  The  popula¬ 
tion  is  variously  estimated  at  from  two  to  four  millions. 

The  whole  of  Angola  is  tropical,  but  the  temperature  is  greatly 
modified,  on  the  coast  by  the  sea  breeze,  and  in  the  interior 
by  the  elevation  of  the  land.  The  coast  for  the  most  part  is 
low  and  arid.  Back  of  this  about  150  miles  is  the  hill-country, 
where  vegetation  is  luxuriant,  mineral  treasures  abundant,  and 
the  scenery  grand.  Still  back  of  this  there  is  the  highland 
plateau  rising  from  two  to  six  thousand  feet.  Here  are 
fields  and  parks,  the  home  of  antelopes,  zebras,  and  great  herds 
of  cattle.  It  is  said  that  the  white  man  can  live  here  almost 
as  well  as  in  Europe.  All  the  country  is  well  watered  with 
rivers.  The  problem  here  is  that  of  transportation  and  travel 
between  these  hinterlands  and  the  seaports. 

A  Wise  Government  Needed 

The  chief  products  of  Angola  are  palm  oil,  sugar,  rubber, 
wax,  gum-copal  and  other  gums,  coffee,  and  cocoanuts;  also, 
malachite,  copper,  salt,  and  some  gold,  silver,  and  ivory.  There 
are  indications  also  that  there  may  be  an  abundance  of  coal. 
Wliat  is  needed  is  a  wise  government,  and  money  and  enter¬ 
prise  to  work  all  these  resources.  A  railroad  has  been  built  by 
the  state  for  about  240  miles  into  the  interior.  But  the  tariff 
on  freight  is  so  high  that  one  can  get  things  cheaper  from 
Europe  than  from  places  one  hundred  miles  distant  from 


ANGOLA 


11 


Loanda;  hence  there  is  no  incentive  whatever  to  produce  except 
for  local  needs. 

We  must  not  forget  that  Angola  is  a  penal  colony  of  Portu¬ 
gal,  hence  it  has  been,  and  is,  the  dumping  place  for  criminals. 
The  worst  cases  are  confined  in  the  old  fortresses  or  made  to 
work  as  convicts,  while  others  are  free  to  live  and  trade  among 
the  people,  but  are  constantly  under  police  surveillance  and 
are  not  allowed  to  leave  the  country.  It  was  necessary  for  us 
to  have  a  clean  bill  from  the  police  before  we  could  board  our 
steamer.  It  is  easy  to  imagine  the  influence  of  such  a  class  of 
whites  on  the  natives,  who  see  in  them  the  very  worst  types  of 
European  civilization. 

Then  to  make  the  situation  even  worse  Portugal  is  Eoman 
Catholic,  and  hence  Angola  is  a  Eoman  Catholic  province. 
The  poor,  ignorant,  superstitious  native  is  told  that  he  may  be 
saved  in  his  sins  rather  than  from  his  sins,  that  one  fetich  or 
charm  may  be  substituted  for  another,  that  the  Christian  reli¬ 
gion  consists  in  observing  certain  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the 
church  rather  than  in  a  radical  change  in  the  individual 
character. 

How  sad  it  was  to  witness  these  poor  natives  observing 
carnival !  Our  Conference  was  held  during  carnival  week.  Sev¬ 
eral  days  before  Shrove  Tuesday  the  noise  and  the  dance  con¬ 
tinued  up  to  midnight  and  then  to  one  or  two  o’clock  in  the 
morning,  but  on  the  night  preceding  Ash  Wednesday  it  con¬ 
tinued  all  night.  There  can  be  no  description  of  it.  It  was 
hell  let  loose  and  the  worst  passions  of  men  and  women  un¬ 
bridled.  I  do  not  believe  that  I  shall  ever  get  so  far  away  from 
Africa,  in  this  world,  that  I  shall  not  be  able  to  hear  the  beat 
of  the  native  drum  or  the  shrieks  of  the  reveling  mob.  We  were 
assured  that  hundreds  of  natives  die  every  year  as  a  result  of 
this  mad  custom. 

Slavery  is  still  in  Angola.  The  law'  forbids  it,  but  neverthe¬ 
less  it  exists  throughout  the  whole  province.  Polygamy  is  also 
everywhere.  The  number  of  wives  is  generally  regarded  as 
indicating  a  man’s  wealth.  The  money,  however,  which  a 
man  pays  to  the  parents  of  the  girl  who  is  to  become  his  wife 
is  regarded  not  as  a  price  but  as  a  pledge,  which  may  be 
demanded  again  by  the  husband  if  she  should  prove  unfaithful. 


12 


GLIMPSES  OF  AFRICA 


Methodism  in  Angola 

In  March,  1885,  Bishop  Taylor  brought  his  heroic  band  of 
pioneers  to  start  work  here.  The  selection  of  this  field  was  a 
good  one,  and  the  purpose  which  brought  these  heroic  men  and 
women  to  Africa  was  holy,  but  the  methods  adopted  were  im¬ 
practicable.  Bishop  William  Taylor  was  a  prophet,  but  some 
of  his  followers  were  mere  religious  enthusiasts.  Others  have 
been  and  are  among  the  most  faithful  workers  in  the  West 
Central  Africa  Conference. 

In  1897  Bishop  Joseph  C.  Hartzell  appeared  on  the  scene  to 
save  the  enterprise,  and  only  through  his  constant  and  energetic 
exertions  to  procure  special  gifts  both  in  America  and  in  Eng¬ 
land  has  he  been  able  to  baring  the  work  up  to  its  present 
efficiency. 

We  now  embrace  a  territory  of  200,000  square  miles,  where 
there  is  no  other  evangelical  mission.  Bishop  Hartzell’s  policy 
has  been  to  conserve  as  much  as  possible  of  the  past  work,  to 
fix  on  a  few  healthful  strategic  centers,  to  create  confidence  and 
sympathy  for  Africa  among  friends  at  home,  to  inspire  intelli¬ 
gent  young  men  and  women  with  the  desire  to  give  their  lives 
for  Africa,  and  to  found  schools  for  the  training  of  native 
workers. 

The  property  interests  of  the  mission  are  chiefly  centered 
in  the  city  of  Loanda,  where  we  have  fifteen  acres  of  land,  a 
large  mission  house,  a  schoolhouse  with  chapel  underneath,  a 
storehouse,  and  a  small  house  for  native  helpers,  all  valued 
at  $23,000.  Loanda  has  a  population  of  23,000  blacks  and 
5,000  whites.  This  is  the  chief  center  of  the  province  and  the 
head  of  the  government.  It  is  necessary  that  we  be  strong  at 
this  point.  In  other  places  there  are  large  landed  properties 
which  have  become  ours  by  the  law  of  occupation,  in  some 
places  even  three  and  five  hundred  acres.  Quiongoa  is  another 
chief  center,  where  is  located  our  mission  press,  worth  $3,000, 
provided  for  by  special  gifts  secured  through  Bishop  Hartzell. 

The  other  two  centers  are  Pungo  Andongo  and  Quessua. 
About  four  years  ago  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society 
began  work  in  this  mission  at  Quessua,  and  we  understand  that 
the  Girls’  School  under  the  two  ladies  in  charge  is  quite  pros- 


SOUTH  AND  EAST  AFRICA 


13 


perous,  so  that  additional  quarters  are  required.  We  sincerely 
hope  that  soon  the  ladies  at  home  will  be  able  to  find  the  needed 
funds  and  the  suitable  persons  to  open  a  first-class  Girls’ 
School  at  Loanda.  At  our  other  stations  in  Angola,  only  native 
helpers  are  in  charge.  The  plan  is  that  around  each  central 
station  where  a  missionary  lives  there  shall  be  a  number  of 
stations  manned  by  native  helpers,  forming  a  circuit  of  which 
the  missionary  shall  be  preacher  in  charge.  At  this  central 
station  he  shall  also  have  a  training  school  for  native  workers, 
both  boys  and  girls,  in  which  special  attention  shall  be  given 
to  industrial  training.  All  our  property  in  Angola  is  now 
valued  at  $33,665,  and  there  is  not  a  cent  of  debt  on  any  of  it. 

In  South  Africa 

After  leaving  Saint  Paul  de  Loanda,  February  15,  we  sailed 
for  Capetown.  Our  destination  was  Inhambane,  the  seat  of  our 
mission  in  Portuguese  East  Africa,  but  we  wished  to  take  in 
Capetown,  Kimberley,  Johannesburg,  Pretoria,  and  Lorenzo 
Marquez  on  the  way.  One  must  pass  over  the  country  and  visit 
these  centers  of  activity  in  order  to  have  any  just  conception  of 
what  South  Africa  means,  or  of  what  it  is  destined  to  become. 

We  spent  Sunday,  February  24,  at  Johannesburg,  and  Bishop 
Hartzell  and  I  preached  in  two  of  the  Wesleyan  churches.  On 
the  following  Monday  and  Tuesday  we  visited  the  great  gold 
mines  and  many  other  places  of  interest,  and  also  met  and 
talked  with  many  influential  people.  This  wonderful  city, 
6,000  feet  above  the  sea  and  only  twenty  years  old,  has  already 
a  population  of  nearly  three  hundred  thousand  souls,  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  thousand  white  people,  one  hundred  thousand 
Kaffirs,  and  sixty-five  thousand  Chinese.  A  visit  to  the  Bible 
House  revealed  the  fact  that  the  Bible  is  being  sold  here  in 
sixty  different  languages. 

From  Johannesburg  we  again  descended  to  the  sea  at  Lorenzo 
Marquez  (Delagoa  Bay),  where  we  received  much  kindness  at 
the  hands  of  Consul-General  Hollis.  From  here  we  took  a 
small  Portuguese  steamer  for  Inhambane,  where  we  arrived  on 
Saturday  afternoon,  March  2.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  E.  H.  Richards 
have  their  headquarters  at  Gikuki,  about  five  miles  across  the 


14 


GLIMPSES  OF  AFRICA 


bay.  Our  mission  headquarters,  which  are  beautifully  located, 
overlooking  the  magnificent  bay,  consist  of  the  mission  home, 
chapel,  and  printing  house,  all  of  which  are  substantially  made 
and  well  adapted  for  the  purposes  designed,  and  are  entirely 
free  from  debt. 

On  the  East  Coast 

The  church  at  Gikuki  was  built  by  the  natives  themselves. 
There  is  also  a  new  mission  house  at  Kambini  which  has  cost 
$2,000,  mostly  provided  for  by  Bishop  Hartzell  through  special 
gifts.  In  many  respects  this  work  on  the  Inhambaue  District 
is  very  remarkable.  There  is  probably  nothing  like  it  on  all 
the  East  Coast.  There  are  now  thirty-two  stations,  and  each 
station  means  a  school  and  a  church,  or  center  for  evangeliza¬ 
tion.  The  special  feature  of  this  work  is  the  primary  school 
in  every  station  for  teaching  the  heathen,  children  and  adults, 
to  read  the  word  of  God.  This  work  is  carried  on  mostly 
through  special  gifts  raised  by  Bishop  Hartzell  and  Dr.  Richards. 
Through  their  paper.  The  Inhambane  Christian  Advocate,  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Richards  keep  the  friends  of  the  mission  informed  as 
to  what  is  being  done  and  through  the  Raven  Club  they  gather 
supplies  for  the  increasing  needs.  Dr.  Richards  also  puWishea 
a  paper  in  the  native  language.  Dawn  of  Day,  which  is  accom¬ 
plishing  great  good.  Much  other  valuable  literature  has  been 
published  by  the  Inhambane  Press,  both  in  English  and  in  the 
native  languages. 

On  Monday  afternoon,  March  4,  we  boarded  a  German  steamer 
for  Beira,  the  port  of  entry  for  Eastern  and  Southern  Rhodesia, 
and  205  miles  by  rail  from  IJmtali,  the  seat  of  the  East  Central 
Africa  Mission  Conference.  We  were  glad  to  get  up  again  on 
the  plateau  and  among  the  hills,  where  the  nights'  are  cool  and 
permit  sleep.  Here,  too,  we  were  gladdened  by  letters  from  home. 

The  Beautifue  Country  of  Rhodesia 

Rhodesia  is  the  territory  of  the  British  South  Africa  Com¬ 
pany,  and  covers  an  area  of  750,000  square  miles.  It  is  mostly 
a  plateau  3,500  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  One  of  the  most 
peculiarly  picturesque  features  of  the  whole  area  is  the  upright 


RHODESIA 


15 


granite  kopje  (hillock  or  boulder).  The  climate  of  Rhodesia  is 
good.  In  the  summer  (October  to  March)  the  heat  is  quite 
intense  during  the  day,  but  the  nights  are  nearly  always  cool. 
The  country  is  rich  in  minerals  and  in  nearly  all  kinds  of 
agricultural  products.  It  is  destined  to  become  one  of  the  great 
cattle  farms  of  the  world.  There  are  now  about  13,000  white 
people  in  Rhodesia  and  620,000  natives;  an  increase  of  twenty- 
seven  per  cent  in  five  years,  and  two  thirds  of  this  number  are 
in  Mashonaland,  where  our  Methodist  work  is.  These  natives 
own  145,000  head  of  cattle,  48,000  sheep,  and  450,000  goats, 
and  many  of  them  have  good  cash  accounts  in  the  banks.  Many 
parts  of  Rhodesia  are  very  beautiful,  but  none  more  so  than 
Umtali,  a  beautiful  village  of  English  people,  205  miles  from 
the  sea  and  3,500  feet  above  the  sea.  It  is  on  the  Beira  and 
Mashonaland  railroad,  and  about  halfway  between  Beira,  the 
port  of  entry,  and  Salisbury,  the  capital.  It  is  charmingly 
located  amid  surrounding  hills,  and  reminds  one  of  some  of 
the  prettier  parts  of  Switzerland.  It  was  found  impracticable 
to  carry  the  railroad  through  to  where  TJmtali  was  first  located, 
and  hence  Cecil  Rhodes  said:  “Since  the  railroad  cannot  go 
to  Umtali  then  let  us  bring  Umtali  to  the  railroad.”  The 
present  town  is  about  ten  miles  from  Old  Umtali.  These 
two  places,  Umtali  and  Old  Umtali,  are  the  chief  centers  of 
our  work  in  Eastern  Rhodesia. 

When  the  town  was  moved  to  its  present  site  all  the  buildings 
of  the  old  town  were  left  vacant.  It  was  providential  for  us 
that  Bishop  Hartzell  arrived  upon  the  scene  at  the  opportune 
moment.  His  vision  was  broad  enough  to  take  in  the  situation, 
and  he  had  the  ability  and  courage  necessary  for  the  occasion. 
The  British  South  Africa  Company  gave  to  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  through  Bishop  Hartzell  many  of  the  build¬ 
ings  of  Old  Umtali  and  13,000  acres  of  surrounding  land.  We 
doubt  if  there  has  ever  been  any  other  one  such  gift  to  any  of 
our  missions  in  the  world.  Since  then  Bishop  Hartzell  has 
relinquished  10,000  acres  of  the  land  with  the  privilege  of 
taking  up  farms  amounting  to  as  many  acres  in  different  parts 
of  Rhodesia. 

This  also  was  a  wise  step  and  much  to  our  advantage.  Our 
church  still  retains  at  Old  Umtali  the  buildings  and  3,000 


16 


GLIMPSES  OF  AFKICA 


acres  of  land,  of  which  at  least  1,500  might  immediately  be 
put  under  the  plow.  We  have  seen  the  buildings  and  land, 
read  the  title  deeds,  and  we  do  not  hesitate  to  express  our  un¬ 
bounded  admiration.  Here  we  have  buildings  and  land  and 
equipment  worth  at  least  $75,000  with  no  debt  or  financial 
obligations  of  any  kind.  The  conditions  imposed  by  the  com¬ 
pany  ‘‘^have  been  more  than  met”  according  to  the  words  of  Sir 
William  Minton,  the  present  Governor  of  Ehodesia.  On  this 
property  we  have  a  large  mission  house,  cottages  for  the  district 
superintendent,  the  director  of  the  industrial  department  and  his 
assistant,  school  buildings  and  work  shops  and  homes  for  100 
native  boys,  besides  buildings  connected  with  the  farm.  Other 
buildings  are  being  added.  There  is  room  for  growth.  Under 
wise  management  and  earnest  cooperation  Old  IJmtali  may 
become  one  of  the  great  mission  centers  of  Africa. 

In  the  new  Umtali  is  our  academy  for  the  education  of  white 
children,  a  beautiful  church  for  white  people,  and  a  prosperous 
church  and  school  for  natives.  It  would  have  been  very  unwise 
if  we  had  devoted  all  our  attention  to  the  natives  and  neglected 
the  white  people.  By  evangelizing  and  educating  the  white 
population  we  are  not  only  saving  them,  but  also  making  it 
easier  to  do  a  more  effective  and  permanent  work  among  the 
natives.  The  Eoman  Catholics  are  zealous  in  their  endeavors 
to  get  hold  of  the  white  children,  who  are  to  be  the  future 
builders  of  this  great  empire.  We  should  have  entirely  missed 
the  mark  if  we  had  neglected  them,  especially  since  nearly  all 
this  white  work  is  largely  self-supporting. 

Additions,  extensive  repairs,  and  improvements  had  been  made 
to  the  buildings  at  Old  Umtali.  Successful  experiments  had 
been  made  on  the  farm,  and  stock  improved.  The  native  boys, 
who,  when  they  come  to  our  school,  pay  down  $30  for  their 
tuition,  have  been  kept  at  work  in  the  afternoons  as  carpenters, 
bricklayers,  stone  masons,  or  farm  laborers.  Many  of  these 
native  young  men  have  become  efficient  helpers,  and  they  go 
out  into  the  surrounding  villages,  where  they  are  exerting  a 
beneficent  influence  on  the  heathen  about  them.  The  reports 
made  of  the  Conference  session  in  March  from  the  districts, 
the  academy,  the  native  schools,  and  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Mis¬ 
sionary  Society  all  called  for  hymns  of  thanksgiving.  This,  our 


AFRICA’S  APPEAL 


17 


youngest  mission  in  Africa,  is  certainly  destined  to  become 
our  great  mission  in  Africa. 

Africa’s  Needs  To-day 

One  has  compared  Africa  to  the  Great  Sphinx  on  the  banks 
of  the  Nile.  There  it  stands  or  rather  crouches,  partly  buried 
by  desert  sands,  a  strange  figure,  gigantic,  grotesque,  voiceless, 
looking  toward  the  rising  sun,  as  if  waiting  for  a  dawn  which 
has  been  long  in  coming. 

It  has  taken  more  than  a  century  to  open  up  this  vast  con¬ 
tinent  and  to  bring  it  into  relation  with  the  rest  of  the  world. 
But  out  of  the  slumber  and  seclusion  of  thousands  of  years  the 
greater  part  of  the  Dark  Continent  has  now  been  awakened. 

The  term  Dark  Continent  is  used  not  only  because  the  in¬ 
habitants  are  black,  but  because  morally  and  religiously  they  are 
in  the  blackness  of  darkness.  The  most  gloomy  picture  cannot 
surpass  the  reality.  The  poorest,  narrowest,  and  most  joyless 
religious  conceptions  are  those  of  the  unenlightened  native 
African.  His  gods  are  malignant  spirits,  demons  in  all  their 
hideousness.  He  cannot  love  them.  The  African  thinks  him¬ 
self  beset  on  every  side  and  at  all  times  by  these  evil  spirits  which 
are  constantly  seeking  his  injury  and  death.  To  placate  these  he 
offers  sacrifices,  even  human  sacrifices,  wears  on  his  person  all 
kinds  of  charms,  and  uses  every  manner  of  incantation. 

It  was  the  missionary  spirit  which  first  penetrated  the  Dark 
Continent.  Hence,  in  a  peculiar  sense,  Africa  should  be  the  mis¬ 
sionary’s  possession.  Trade  and  commerce  and  civilization  have 
advanced  here  on  the  stepping  stones  of  missionary  graves. 
But  these  missionaries  gave  their  lives  not  for  conquest  or  glory 
or  personal  gain,  but  for  the  salvation  of  Africa.  It  is  a  shame 
therefore  that  the  white  man,  who  has  entered  into  this  inher¬ 
itance,  should  prostitute  it  to  his  own  avarice. 

What  an  impression  one  gets  in  Africa  of  the  wrongs  perpe¬ 
trated  by  the  white  man  on  his  black  brother !  There  lingers 
with  us  yet  the  memory  of  the  slave  trade,  the  night  raid,  the 
burning  villages,  families  torn  apart,  the  yoke,  the  chains,  the 
long  weary  march,  and  the  dismal  voyage.  All  this  came  troop- 


18 


GLIMPSES  OF  AFRICA 


ing  back  as  we  looked  upon  the  hulk  of  an  old  slave  ship  high 
and  dry  on  the  banks  of  the  Congo.  In  place  of  this,  and  for 
the  sake  of  sordid  gain,  shall  we  allow  rum  to  brutalize  and 
modern  vices  to  enslave  the  negro  race  ? 

The  importance  of  Africa  to  the  world  does  not  depend  so 
much  upon  its  material  resources  as  upon  what  the  native  of 
Africa  will  become,  for  in  the  last  analysis  the  world’s  wealth 
is  in  character  and  not  in  gold.  Livingstone  said,  “The  opening 
up  of  the  country  is  a  matter  of  congratulation  only  in  so  far 
as  it  opens  up  a  prospect  for  the  elevation  of  the  race,”  and  this 
can  be  done  only  through  missionary  agencies.  What  Africa 
needs  to-day  to  save  her  vast  millions  from  fetich  idolatry, 
Mohammedanism,  and  modern  vices,  is  the  Gospel  of  human 
kindness  and  Christian  love,  the  Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God 
which  saves  the  whole  man. 

It  is  the  duty  of  Christian  America  especially  to  give  to 
Africa  this  means  of  her  salvation,  and  in  this  matter  certainly 
“the  King’s  business  demands  haste,”  because  it  is  now  or 
never  with  a  large  part  of  the  great  continent.  What  is  done 
now  will  be  more  effectual  and  accomplish  greater  good  than 
a  thousand  times  more  in  the  years  to  come. 

In  this  Jubilee  I  wish  Bishop  Hartzell  had  asked  for  a  larger 
sum,  for  in  the  four  Mission  centers  he  will  need  many  times 
over  the  sum  named.  I  sincerely  trust,  however,  that  the  Church 
will  make  it  $500,000  instead  of  $300,000,  and  thus  help  to 
hasten  the  day  of  Africa’s  redemption.  If  the  coming  Jubilee 
shall  provide  the  necessary  means,  in  fifty  years  great  wonders 
may  be  seen  in  the  Dark  Continent. 


